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Fall Extended Share Part II

Welcome to the last box of the year! We’re really excited about it as it’s got some really neat items. We did some drying and preserving of foods in the late summer and now have some cool stuff to put in the box, like pasilla bajio peppers and an assortment of teas! Of course, there are some items that hope to catch your attention for a Thanksgiving or Hanukkah feast, like pumpkins for pie-making, rutabaga for mashing, or beets for roasting. This box is my dream fall holiday meal box! We hope you use some or all of these wonderful vegetables to feed yourselves, your families and your friends, and we give thanks to you for the extra support and interest in us and our farm. We’ll raise a toast to you all on Thanksgiving!

Without further ado, here’s our last box of offerings from Sleepy Root Farm until next spring!

Butternut Squash and/or Carnival

Minnesota Sweet Pie Pumpkins

Carrots

Rutabaga

Celeriac

Beets

Onions

Leeks

Cabbage

Baby Kale

Baby Asian Mustard Greens

Radishes

Dried Pasilla Bajio Peppers

Dried Oregano and Thyme

Mint and Chamomile Tea Bags (4 of each)

Minnesota Sweet Pie Pumpkins: We tried this variety for the first time this year and there’s no going back! Absolutely the best, sweetest, best-yielding pie pumpkin we’ve ever met. Want to make your holiday pie-baking a breeze? Take your pumpkins, cut them in half, and place them cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven at 375 degrees until they’re soft when you poke them. Let cool, scoop out the flesh, and puree in a food processor or blender. Place 2 cups in freezer bags, label, and when you need to make a pie, pull out the puree, thaw, and you’re ready to go! This method is tried and true, just ask Brandon how many pumpkin pies he’s already eaten, and how many are stored away for the future! I’ll include my best-ever pie recipe below.

Celeriac: These odd-looking white root vegetables with tons of squiggly roots are really neat! Also known as celery root, they have a mild taste of celery, and a texture similar to turnips. You can peel and roast them, or peel, dice, and mash them. They’re fantastic added to mashed potatoes or great mashed on their own for a starch-free alternative. Of course, celeriac is the star ingredient of remoulade, a stunning French vegetable slaw. Remoulade is perfect on it’s own as a side dish, or on any kind of sandwich in place of cole slaw. Check out this link to some fun information and a host of recipes for this lovely little root.

For the fall shares we experimented with heartier greens that can take the lower temperatures of an un-heated but sheltered space. The hoophouse helps keep the ground warmer and shelters the plants from the wind, giving us the ability to grow fresh greens year-round. None of these plants would survive this late in the year if they were grown out in the field. We can’t decide if they’re best enjoyed as a tasty raw salad mix (we do miss our greens these days) or very gently stir-fried and served with quinoa or whole wheat couscous or some other healthy grain. Fortunately we’ll be able to harvest both the baby kale and the Asian greens all the way up to April!

Baby Kale Mix

Dried Pasilla Peppers: (pa-SEE-yah) There’s no doubt that I love Tex-Mex, Mex-Mex, and anything in between. We dehydrated these peppers so we’d have the joy of making some of our favorite foods during the winter.

Dried Pasilla Peppers

Traditionally used for mole sauce, a deep, richly flavored sauce with dark chocolate and assorted spices, Mole is known as the curry sauce of Mexico for it’s endless variations and possibilities. The dried chilis provide added depth to soups, salsas, or anything else you can come up with. Visit this great blog for mole ideas!

Mint and Chamomile Tea: We’ve given you four bags of each herbal tea. They are both caffeine-free. The mint has a strong, recognizable aroma and is more bulky than the chamomile. The Chamomile has a distinct floral pungency and is pale yellow. Chamomile tea is often prepared at bedtime for a calming, mellowing effect. Mint tea is said to be good for the stomach and digestive system, and I find it a refreshing and relaxing beverage any time of day, iced or hot.

Recipes

Minnesota Sweet Pumpkin Pie

Pie dough: a.k.a. Pate Brisee

1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T. sugar

1/2 cup butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, chilled

1/8-1/4 cup ice water

Sift the dry ingredients together. Place in food processor and add butter, pulse until the mix resembles coarse cornmeal. Add water, a few Tablespoons at a time, using as little as possible, until the dough comes together. Press into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Pie Filling:

2 cups pumpkin puree

3 eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/4 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

Lightly beat the eggs. Mix the spices with the brown sugar, and add the spiced sugar mix to the heavy cream. Pour this over the pumpkin filling, add the eggs, and stir until just combined.

When ready to make pie, turn the oven on to 375 degrees, and when the oven is ready, pull your dough from the fridge. As soon as the dough is workable roll out and place in pie pan. Keep the edges plain, flute with a fork, or use any other decorative method you wish. Pour the pie filling in the unbaked shell, and bake 35-40 minutes or until the filling is just set. Don’t overbake, or the the filling may crack. Allow to cool to room temperature, and if you like, serve with whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup.

Preparation:

How to make celeriac remoulade:

Toss the grated celery root with 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice and set it aside for a moment.

Make the remoulade by whisking together the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice, red wine vinegar, parsley, cornichons, and mayonnaise. Toss the prepared celery root with the dressing and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour before serving.